Community Shield - Chelsea v Liverpool, 3pm

MrJoeSoap

Liverpool will not be tempted to risk striker Robbie Fowler (knee injury) or defender Fabio Aurelio (calf).

Peter Crouch will come into contention for a starting role after being rested to the bench for the Champions League qualifier against Maccabi Haifa.

For Chelsea, Joe Cole and Petr Cech are injured, Claude Makelele gets extra time to recover from the World Cup.

William Gallas is back after failing to link up for the pre-season tour of the USA, but will not feature on Sunday.

Chelsea (from): Cudicini, Hilario, Ferreira, Geremi, Carvalho, Terry, Bridge, Mikel, Ballack, Diarra, Essien, Lampard, Wright-Phillips, Shevchenko, Drogba, Robben, Kalou.

Liverpool (from): Reina, Finnan, Hyypia, Carragher, Riise, Luis Garcia, Gerrard, Alonso, Sissoko, Pennant, Bellamy, Zenden, Crouch, Dudek, Paletta, Gonzalez, Kromkamp, Agger, Warnock, Sinama-Pongolle, Peltier.

Hoping for an entertaining game of football to get the new season off to a good start. I can see Liverpool nicking this one reasonably late on.

Prediction: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

el rabitos

hopefully crouch isnt recalled to the first 11. he doesnt offer much against top class opposition imo.

.................reina

finnan....carra...hyypia...riise

pennant...sissoko...alonso...gonzalez

........gerrard
.......................crouch

Vokes

Probably the same first 11 as Wednesday for Liverpool.

PHB

It'll be interesting to see how good Diarra is, Chelsea without Makelele are a different team. I think they will be very very very very attacking today.

evilhomer

PHB wrote:

It'll be interesting to see how good Diarra is, Chelsea without Makelele are a different team. I think they will be very very very very attacking today.

I seen Diarra in the Celtic-Vs-Chelsea game on tuesday. He is not as disciplined as Makelele he like to get forward on occasion. So the other Chelsea players that are used to getting well advanced and letting Makelele hold-up/clean-up the ball at the back are in for a bit of a suprise if he plays.

But surely Chelsea will put Essien in there no?

county

i can see a 3 or 4-1 win for chelsea,liverpool were poor during the week in a game of inportance so i cant see them upping there performence for a charity match

PHB

I don't know, I've no idea how Chelsea are going to do this year, just because I have no idea what system Jose is going to play. I've never seen the 4-4-2 that he plays played in a league properly, and it's just all up in the air. Today should be interesting because of that.

mike65

The formation guess I saw in a reputable paper was incredibly narrow - like the FA Cup semi last season. with Robben between midfield and attack its was sort of

---

GK
LB---CB---CB---RB

---

Hm

---

Cm--Cm

---

Am

---

F

---

F

Liverpool will be just as on Wednesday I'm sure.

Mike.

PHB

---

GK
LB---CB---CB---RB

---

Hm

---

Cm--Cm

---

Am

---

F

---

F

Yeh, but there's also the

---

GK
LB---CB---CB---RB

---

Dm--DM----
---AM

---

AM----

---

F

---

F

---

Which is equally likely, nobody really knows

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

PHB

It's not a friendly if both teams want to win it.

county

PHB wrote:

It's not a friendly if both teams want to win it.

everyone wants to win,its still a friendly though

ziggy

This post has been deleted.

el rabitos

it means relatively little, i just want pool to win to gather some momentum for next week

RE*AC*TOR

I think Chelsea will be up for. For some reason Liverpool seem to get up Mourinho's nose more than anyone else. Perhaps Liverpool success in recent years on relatively limited resources reflects badly on his successes.

el rabitos

either that or rafa gets up his nose because he wouldnt/hasnt needed those resources

Guy:Incognito

I'd say the cl win pissed him off something rotten, especially beating them on the way to it. Plus I reckon he knows if he doesnt win the cl this season he could welll be out the door.

Chucky the tree

Jose said he will make about 5 changes during the match. Probaly sheva and ballack off at half time. i am doing for liverpool.

2-1

Zapp Brannigan

I reckon Liverpools starting 11 will be similiar to Wednesday. Except maybe swap in Garcia for Zenden. I don't think Gonzalez will start, cos he hasn't really been introduced to English football, but I'm sure he will feature.

Attractive Nun

To be honest, I'm not sure how Chelsea are going to line up this season. Mourinho can't really (well he can, but it would be very strange) keep Lampard or Ballack out of the starting line-up, and Makelele will obviously always start. Those three, however, really wouldn't fit into the 4-5-1 they played last season. The only way they could all play together would be in a diamond midfield like described above, probably with the other major central midfielder, Essien. In that case, Robben, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Phillips seem irrevelant. I'm very interested to see how they line up today.

I can see Liverpool winning this today.

el rabitos

Reina

Riise
Agger
Carragher
Finnan

Gonzalez
Zenden
Sissoko
Pennant

Garcia
Crouch

this will be torture

Zapp Brannigan

el rabitos wrote:

Reina

Riise
Agger
Carragher
Finnan

Gonzalez
Zenden
Sissoko
Pennant

Garcia
Crouch

this will be torture

Heh I was wrong! WAY wrong. Looks like Carra will be captain.

Davei141

Bloody hell.

Ronan|Raven

Think it shows how benitez is treating this match.

Vokes

Be interesting to see how Sissoko handles holding midfield on his own.

Nice to see Gonzales starting.

Zapp Brannigan

Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Robben.

Oour midfield is gonna be over run

mike65

Ha! Talk about out psyching Maureen! If Chelsea don't win this with Gerrard and Alonso benched then twill look bad even if the result does'nt truely prove anything.

Mike.

Space Coyote

Oh Jebus, that starting line-up doesn't fill me with confidence! What is Agger playin for...did he play any of the pre-season games??? Don't think so.

SUBS: Dudek, Sinama Pongolle, Gerrard, Aurelio, Alonso, Bellamy, Hyypia.

Necronomicon

Is KO 3pm or just coverage?

Chucky the tree

ko 3pm

jank

Chelsea to win a boring match 2-0

mike65

I'm listening to bbc fivelive - Jan Molby is sounding more scouse than ever.

Mike.

Ronan|Raven

Watching it on Al Jazeera Sport. The commentator keeps mentioning something about some laden chap

mike65

What do they show? Formation Suicide Bombing?!

Goallllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

Mike.

PHB

What a ****ing goal, was the keeping that bad? Seemed like it had some serious power and dip

Aquos76

Nice goal there from Rise. Chelsea goalkeeping was awlful though

mike65

Liverpool waltzing past Chelsea, no doubt they'll wake up.

Mike.

mike65

Lampard - twit.

Mike.

Aquos76

Very lucky boy lampard. Lucky to still be on the pitch imo...

Ronan|Raven

Yup a very petulant kick out at zenden.

PHB

Liverpool are playing a very physical game, and Chelsea appear to be responding in kind

Skittlebrau

Slurms wrote:

Ballack, Essien, Lampard, Robben.

Oour midfield is gonna be over run

Not so far. Early days yet but the 'Pool are looking good.

mike65

http://sportsheaven.org/footy.php live link but rather choppy.

Mike.

Skittlebrau

Liverpool are looking good at the back, surprisingly good in midfield given that there's no Gerrard or Alonso but they're still lacking up front. Hopefully Bellamy will come on in the second half.

thund3rbird_

mike65 wrote:

http://sportsheaven.org/footy.php live link but rather choppy.

Mike.

slightly better in WMP in skin mode
javascript on the page didn't make it easy but HTTPanalyzer

http://www.sportsheaven.org/xcgtdrdfgsdfgstgs/footy.asx

Ronan|Raven

Crouch made a timely defensive interception for chelsea there

Ronan|Raven

1-1

mike65

Ho hum.

Mike.

PHB

Liverpool had been playing the offside trap all day and eventually with someone of the quality of Shevchenko they were always gona get caught out

futuredeath

yea with sheva there is always that risk,
liverpool have been in my eyes the slightly stronger of the too,
while we still have gerrard and bellamy to come on who can both maybe get a goal.
is the charity shield still shareable if its a draw or is it extra time etc.?

Davei141

Its peno's straight after i think.